Reinforced paper strip for box-corners and other purposes.



P. T. JACKSON, JR.

REINFORCED PAPER STRIP FOR BOX CORNERS AND OTHER PURPOSES.

APPLICATION FILED- FEB. 2,19I8.

Patented Sept. 17, 1918:

PATRICK TRACY JACKSON, JP", OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO PAPER PRODUCTS MACHINE COMPANY, OF BOSTON MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

REINFORCED PAPER STRIP FOR BOX-CORNERS AND OTHER PURPOSES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 1'3, 1918.

Application filed February 2, 1918. Serial No. 215,181.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, PATRICK TRACY JACK- SON, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Cambridge, county of Middlesex, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Reinforced Paper Strips for Box-Corners and other Purposes, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

The invention to be hereinafter described relates to reinforced paper fabrics adapted for adhesive engagement with objects. Among other uses the fabric serves effectively for uniting the sides of boxes, reinforcing the corners thereof, and for sealing boxes or the wrappers of boxes and other containers or articles.

Heretofore paper fabrics of this general class have been reinforced by spaced threads or strings which have been spun or twisted into a continuous filament, and such threads or strings have been applied either trans versely or longitudinally to the fabric to be reinforced; and the fabric has had a gum coating for securing the same to articles. There are, however, certain objections to these fabrics. The spun or twisted threads or strings necessarily have considerable body or thickness which adds materially to the stiffness of the fabric, and prevents free flexibility of the fabric, prevents the fabric from conforming intimately with the contour of the article to which it is applied, and consequently prevents adhesive engagement of the gummed face of the fabric with the article throughout the area of said gummed face. The body or thickness of the spun or twisted threads produces alternating grooves and ridges on the surface of the fabric, which are liable to be scraped and worn in use and cause rupture of the paper at said ridges. Also the spun and twisted threads have been spaced substantial distances apart, so that substantial areas of the paper are left without reinforcement,

The purpose of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a reinforced fabric which will overcome the above and other objections to reinforced fabrics now in use.

The character of the invention will be best understood from the following description of one good form thereof shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of a strip of pa er or fabric having a gummed external f ce and a series of uns un fibers adhesively secured to the opposite face of the paper or fabric;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a reinforced fabric having an external gummed face and comprising two plies of aper having unspun fibgrs secured by an a hesive between them; an

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, 1 (Fig. 1) represents a strip of paper or other fabric to be reinforced or strengthened and having an external gum coating 3 on one face thereof, which may be a vegetable or animal gum normally dry, but rendered adhesive on moistening thesame, so that the fabric may be readily secured to the article desired.

The paper or fabric is reinforced or strengthened by the application to the opposite face from the gum coating, of unspun fibers 5 which may be any well lmown fibers, either animal or vegetable, but preferabl the latter, such, for example, as flax, sisa hemp, cotton, waste, jute, and the like. The fiber is first prepared in the usual manner according to the character of'fiber employed, which has the efiect of laying the fibers .in a general parallel relation, the word parallel being herein used in a general though not strict sense, but since the machines and processes for preparing fibers are well known to those skilled in the art, and the invention does not relate thereto, detailed description of these machines and processes is unnecessary herein. The unspun fibers thus prepared, are then applied to the paper strip or fabric transversely thereto, that is, the longitudinal or lengthwise dimension of the fibers extends generally cross-wise or transversely of the strlp. A suitableadhesive is applied to the face of the strip, ordinarily previously to placing thereon the series of unspun fibers. Itis desirable in some cases that this adhesive shall render the strip waterproof, and therefore, in the present instance, an adhesive coating 7 of black asphaltum or other suitable waterproof adhesive is applied to the paper, and the fibers secured thereby to the paper. The unspun fibers may be applied. to the strip as it is supplied from a as the strip is supplied from a suitable roll.

The length of the individual fibers may be less than the width of thefabric to be reinforced thereby. In such case, end portions such as indicated at 9 of transversely extending fibers overlap, the construction bein such that overlapping ends of fibers in di%erent portions .of the-paper fabric are out of line with each other longitudinally of the fabric. As a consequence, no line of weakness is formed in the longitudinal direction of the fabric.

. It. may sometimes be desirable to protect the reinforcing fibers on account of their delicate nature. For this purpose a stripll of paper or fabric may be opposed to the strip 1 described, the construction being such that the series of tranversely extending fibers may be secured by the adhesive between two plies of fabric as represented in Figs. 2 and 3. The series of delicate fibers may be in such closely adjacent relation that they will constitute a sheet which will reinforce the ply or plies of paper substantially throughout the area thereof without substantial zones or spaces of weakness between them,

such as characterized the strip, referred to,

which .is reinforced by spun or twisted threads or strings. The fabric. reinforced by the unspun fibers does not produce on the surface of the fabric the unsightly, objectionable ridges and grooves which always characterize a fabric reinforced by the spun and twisted threads or strings, but on the contrary, the fabric is smooth and homogeneous throughout. This smooth quality of the fabric enables the same to be readily wound evenly and uniformly on rolls, there-' by facilitating the marketing and use thereof.

As stated, the fabric reinforced as described, is adapted among other uses, for reinforcing box corners. In applying the reinforced strip thereto, a suitable length may be unwound from a roll and the gummed face of the strip may be moistened and adhesively secured to the box corner with the unspun fibers extending transversely to the corner. Thus, the fibers are placed in tension across the corner and furnish the maximum reinforcement in the direction required. The fabric reinforced by the delicate unspun fibers, furnishes 'an'efi'ective reinforcement or binder while retaining the desirable flexible quality of the fabric which enables the latter to conform intimately ,to the article.

to which it is applied, and thus the ed face of the fabric may intimately, ad esively paper mal'nng machine, or.

may be made therefrom without departing from the claims. I

What is claimed is 1. As an article of manufacture, a rein spirit and scope of the appended forced or strengthened fabric for adhesive engagement with objects, comprising a paper strip, an external gum coating on a face of said strip and normally dry, but rendered adhesive on moistening the same, and

a series of closely adj'acentreinforcing or strengthening unspun fibers with their longitudinal dimension extending transversely of the fabric in general parallel relation.

2.'As an article of manufacture, a reinforced or strengthened fabric for adhesive engagement with objects, comprising a paper strip, an external gum coating on a face of said strip and normally dry, ut rendered adhesive on moistening the same, a waterproof adhesive on the opposite face of said strip, and a series of closely adjacent strengthening unspun fibers secured by said waterproof adhesive to said strip with their longitudinal dimension extending transversely of the fabric.

3. As an article of manufacture, a reinforced or strengthened fabric for adhesive engagement with objects, comprising two plies of'paper, an external gum coating on a face of one of said plies of paper and normally dry, but rendered adhesive on mois 4:. As an article of manufacture, a rein-,

forced o'r strengthened fabric for adhesive engagement with objects, comprising two plies of paper, an external gum coating on a face of oneof said plies of paper and normally dry, but rendered adhesive on moistening the same, a waterproof adhesive layer between said plies of paper, and a sheet of between said plies of paper and secured thereto by said waterproof adhesive, said fibers having their longitudinal dimension extending transversely of the fabric in genclosely adjacent strengthening unspun fibers a paper strip, an external gum coating on a of line longitudinally of the paper strip to face of said strip and normally dry, but avoid lines of Weakness longitudinally of the rendered adhesive on moistening the same, strip, and an adhesive for securing said 10 and a series of unspun fibers with the longifibers to said strip.

tudinal dimension thereof extending trans- In testimony whereof I have signed my versely of the paper strip, the ends of trans-- name to this specification. versely extending fibers belng disposed out PATRICK TRACY JACKSON, JR. 

